Supply Chain Environmental Management: Lessons from Leaders in the Electronics Industry

What happens to a computer when it is thrown away? In an industry where products are continually outdated by improved technology, is there a way to reuse products instead of tossing them out? As the technology industry continues to grow, the environmental impact of manufacturing waste and product disposal has become a very important topic. Supply Chain Environmental Management is a management philosophy that attempts to answer these questions. By encouraging manufacturers and suppliers to cooperate in product design and in reuse and recycling initiatives, SCEM can help the electronics industry reduce its negative impact on the environment considerably — and is already being implemented throughout the world. As a result, some firms have adopted product take-back schemes. In Asia as well, business leaders are taking steps toward a sustainable electronics industry.

This report, by the US- Asia Environmental Partnership, is intended to give an overview of the Supply Chain Environmental Management System. Most helpful are the case studies that describe how Xerox, Intel, and Hewlett Packard, among other leading technology companies, have built environmental considerations into product design, improved health-and-safety conditions for employees, informed suppliers of corporate environmental concerns, adopted a prequalification system for their suppliers, and more. This report is a solid introduction to SCEM and the ways in which companies have made it work.